The developer preview of Mac OS X Lion released to developers on Thursday sports a new interface look akin to iTunes for the Finder, Mail and iCal, while applications like Address adopt design elements borrowed from the iPad. AppleInsider offers a first look.

iPad-style Mail, Address Book, iCal

According to people familiar with the software, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion features a new version of Mail with a widescreen layout inspired by the mail application on the iPad. Among the new additions is Conversations, a feature that automatically groups related messages into one easy-to-read timeline.

Mail also features a more powerful search, and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010.

The address book has also taken a cue from the iPad, and iCal has also borrowed design elements from the interface on Apple's popular touchscreen tablet.

New file view options in Finder, additional multi-touch gestures

According to the same people referenced above, a new view in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion's Finder will break down items in a folder by file type. Meanwhile, the Finder itself sports a new view called "All My Files," which works very much the same way for all of the files belonging to a user on a Mac's hard disk. The feature works like Cover Flow, in that you can scroll through rows with the mouse, trackpad or arrow keys when there are more documents or applications in the row that can fit inside the visible portion of the Finder window.

The new multi-touch gestures are designed to take advantage of the larger click TrackPads on more recent MacBook models, which could make them more difficult with older notebooks. Another strange quirk, people familiar with the developer preview said, is two-finger scrolling is reversed: to scroll down on a webpage in Safari, users must push up with their fingers, which is the opposite of how it works in Snow Leopard, but the same directly as scrolling on the iPad.

Apple has also added additional multi-touch gestures for users of the MacBook TrackPad, Magic TrackPad, or Magic Mouse. Users can invoke a pinch gesture to bring up the Launchpad, while spreading their fingers will access the Desktop.

Launchpad & Mission Control

Launchpad aims to make it easy to find applications on a Mac. With a single click, Launchpad displays all Mac apps in a full-screen layout that looks like an iPad's home screen.

From there, applications can be launched, reorganized, or placed into folders that operate identical to folders on iOS. Applications can also be arranged into multiple pages, also like on iOS, allowing users to swipe between them.

Mission Control unifies Exposé, Dashboard, Spaces, and full screen apps, giving users the ability to view every application and window currently running on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. A simple swipe zooms out the desktop to display open windows grouped by application.

Mission Control also provides thumbnails of full-screen applications, as well as the Dashboard. It also gives users the ability to instantly navigate anywhere with a click.

Scroll bar settings, iOS-style switches for menus

As revealed by AppleInsider earlier Thursday, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion features overlay scrollbars similar to those in iOS. If a user's pointing device (such as a TrackPad or Magic Mouse) supports both horizontal and vertical touch scrolling, the scrollbars are hidden during normal use.

Scrollbars will appear as an overlay on top of the window's content while the user is scrolling. The bars will also remain visible briefly after scrolling, to allow users the option to drag the scrollbar.

If a user does not have a device attached that is capable of scrolling, the scrollbars will remain on the screen. In addition, users can turn on the "legacy scrollbar" option in System Preferences.

Other iOS-style elements have also been added to the Mac OS in Lion, with switches that resemble those that might be found in an application on the iPad.

New privacy settings, parental controls

A new privacy section has been added to the Security option in System Preferences. It allows users to choose whether diagnostic data will be sent to Apple, and also whether location services are enabled on their Mac. These options are similar to the location services settings on iOS devices.

Apple has also enhanced parental controls for the Mac, allowing users to restrict access to certain websites, programs, or even to use the machine at certain times of day.

New TextEdit, iOS-style autocorrect, additional Preview interfaces

Options and the overall look and feel of TextEdit have also been tweaked. And the autocorrect user interface from iOS has been brought to the Mac with Lion.

Users can also sort through pictures and view content in new manners with an updated Preview in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

For more on Thursday's release of the Mac OS X 10.7 Lion developer preview, as well as comprehensive coverage of Apple's upcoming operating system update due to launch this summer, see AppleInsider's earlier stories:

Sources detail new features in Apple's first beta of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

I'm confused by the new tab control... is the currently selected tab raised and the tab options dimmed and set into the background? That seems exactly opposite of the way that they should behave. If I was first presented with that control I would assume that the one raised tab was the only one clickable. Or am I just misreading these screen shots?

Address Book actually looks like a book in Lion. Cool! Odd to have the window controls on the left-hand page though.

And speaking of window controls, isn't it interesting that they are all horizontal instead of vertical like in the most recent iTunes version? I wonder if this means iTunes will be going back to the horizontal layout or if it will be the only app from Apple with a vertical configuration. I hope Apple makes the controls horizontal throughout the OS.

Not a fan of the iOS style autocorrect, hopefully there is a way to revert it to the style of SL as it is annoying enough clicking the x to close when on my iPhone much less on a computer.

I like the autocorrect/autocomplete feature on iOS, but I'm not sure I'd have the same appreciation of it working on OS X (i.e., with a full-sized physical keyboard). I'll have to experience it in action.

I'm confused by the new tab control... is the currently selected tab raised and the tab options dimmed and set into the background? That seems exactly opposite of the way that they should behave. If I was first presented with that control I would assume that the one raised tab was the only one clickable. Or am I just misreading these screen shots?

I thought the same. My first reaction was "how can three tabs be selected at once?", until I released they've done the reverse of what's logical and made the selected tab raised.

apple and i appear to have diverging ideas as to where to use colour - when i get a new mac install i always switch the three coloured top left widgets to graphite

was frightened the sidebar will lose its colours after the last itunes update featured the change and am surprised that no other ui elements made their way from itunes - i thought the matte scrollbars would've made an appearance

which leaves me wondering if there are any scrollbars left in the os or is it just a coincidence these screenshots had none (i read elsewhere that scrollbars would appear as needed but i thought that was in full screen mode only)

I like the look and can see the reason for incorporating iOS features into OSX. Reminds me how Apple changed the iMac keyboard to mimic a MBP's keyboard. Then the track pad for the iMac to mimic the trackpad on the MBP's. Works really well for switching between iMacs and MB's. Unless your daughter-in-law uses the trackpad as something to lay your wrist on while she uses the magic mouse. Twit!

I think Apple is on the right track here. Mail should look like the iPad and iPhone as much as possible. Same with the other apps, buttons and scroll bars fading in and out, etc., etc.

Now wait for the usual faces to hate every aspect of any change based on their own guesswork and assumption.

I love 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 - had them all on day one, had a great experience. I backup before i upgrade, if there's an issue, I go back. I guess that's why apple say "back up" before you install.

10.7 will be another exciting new chapter, and if I don't want upgrade - no one is forcing me. I'm also guessing it'll be half the price of the version of windows that actually contains all the features it advertises.

I've got an LCII in the corner running 7.5 like a dream - that's the joy of mac. It'll do in five years what it does now, if you wanna do more, upgrade, if you don't - then don't upgrade.

I'm confused by the new tab control... is the currently selected tab raised and the tab options dimmed and set into the background? That seems exactly opposite of the way that they should behave. If I was first presented with that control I would assume that the one raised tab was the only one clickable. Or am I just misreading these screen shots?

I believe its more implemented as a slider. notice how there isnt button lines on anything but the item raised out. Seems perfect for touch.... just saying

I really hope they allow you to paste excel or numbers data into a email and keep the formatting. and when you get a mail with excel data in the body of the email to be able to copy and paste it back into excel.

Umm... use a tabbed web browser. They *all* use raised tabs to indicate the current one.

I suppose they are, but those tabs are more an extension of the header (at least in Firefox and Safari). In Lion's case, the "tabs" are actually button-shaped, and an indented button would indicate that it's been pressed. In the screenshot above, the logical design would be for Privacy to appear "pressed", while the other three should be raised.

I like the look of the Finder where the applications scroll by like cover flow. I use an Apple track pad and magic mouse with my iMac and really am coming to appreciate the touch gestures. Took me a while not to have to actually "click" on the trackpad but now I like it a lot.

Same with the chick-let keyboard. Could not see myself going back to those big clunky PC type keyboards.

Not big on having AddressBook look like a book. Some things are limiting when they look like their real-world counterparts.

Same here.

I hope the addressbook hooks up with facebook. This way my contacts will be updated automatically.

It doesn't look like you can activate (A) facetime or (B) a mail message or (C) text message right from your address book? That doesn't mean Addressbook should be like outlook. I like the way the apps stand on their own. I am a man and I can handle only one thing at a time

I suppose they are, but those tabs are more an extension of the header (at least in Firefox and Safari). In Lion's case, the "tabs" are actually button-shaped, and an indented button would indicate that it's been pressed. In the screenshot above, the logical design would be for Privacy to appear "pressed", while the other three should be raised.

Not big on having AddressBook look like a book. Some things are limiting when they look like their real-world counterparts.

This tells me that GPS chips will be coming to Mac notebooks on the next revision. Of course, Skyhook can grab your location in other ways, but I think its the long overdue GPS coming.

The number of apps that need pinpoint location information is few and far between (unless you are using your Mac for a GPS while driving or something). Extra software is much cheaper than extra hardware.

There ARE however, lots of software that could easily benefit from a rough estimate of your location. Even if you don't have a GPS chip, if you're in a metro area, you can get some ridiculously accurate locations (also, I'm pretty sure if you use your iPhone in the same location, it sends data back to improve the database).

In general is what I was hoping wouldn't happen to OSX. Everything gets bigger and playful like it's on an iPad sitting on my lap. Ugh.

Actually, I am finding everything in Lion to be much less in your face and refined to give the user the most space possible. The invisible scrollbars are brilliant and going back to 10.6, I find having scroll bars present seems antiquated and is almost annoying. I wasn't sure what I felt about losing the color at first, but it has grown on me in iTunes and it really makes sense in Finder. It is easy to glance and see what it is you are looking at without distraction from the UI elements.

The only negatives I see, which are really just a paradigm shift, are the reverse-scrolling (which almost makes sense on trackpad but not so much on a mouse), the fact that devices are now listed at the bottom of the sidebar instead of the top and there doesn't appear to be a way to rearrange the sections, and I also have to agree about the reversed tabs feeling a bit off. However, I can actually kind of see how that makes some sense as well.

I'm confused by the new tab control... is the currently selected tab raised and the tab options dimmed and set into the background? That seems exactly opposite of the way that they should behave. If I was first presented with that control I would assume that the one raised tab was the only one clickable. Or am I just misreading these screen shots?

My thoughts exactly except on that first shot it looked like three view buttons were depressed. this is so counterintuitive.

I'm confused by the new tab control... is the currently selected tab raised and the tab options dimmed and set into the background? That seems exactly opposite of the way that they should behave. If I was first presented with that control I would assume that the one raised tab was the only one clickable. Or am I just misreading these screen shots?

Well, okay, it's a slider. That's a big shift in what many users will recall from previous UIs.

It's like getting into a mirror image car with the driver's controls on the right and the pedals reversed (no, there isn't any such car widely available). Try using your left foot to press the accelerator on the far left, then move it rightward to brake. Turning your steering wheel clockwise to turn right results in a left turn. Better get a lot of practice on a road lined with rubber bushes and trees!

My thoughts exactly except on that first shot it looked like three view buttons were depressed. this is so counterintuitive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azhar

I absolutely agree with you. And it's ugly!

It won't feel counter intuitive when you see them in action. They slide from side to side, rather than depress. It also makes sense for the selected option to stand out, and having a "slider button" under the option and the rest further behind will enhance readability.

I believe its more implemented as a slider. notice how there isnt button lines on anything but the item raised out. Seems perfect for touch.... just saying

Just what I thought. MacOS will provide touchscreen support. May come in handy for business consumer situations at salesdesks or counters. And I can't wait to have the MacBook Air with the turnscreenintoiosipadmode...

My biggest (and only, so far) complaint with the new interface changes is the loss of color in the sidebar from apps like Mail and Finder. Seems like in this way, iTunes was indeed a hint of things to come. The gray sidebar in iTunes causes me daily confusion. I really don't look forward to a similar effect with the rest of the OS.